W4: L19 = Palaeozoology [Human Impacts In The Past] (Prof. Shaw)

Question 1

Human impacts in the past attributes? (8)

Answer 1

• 1960s & 1970s = emphasis on sustainability of small-scale societies (less impact).
• 1980s = research showed human impact in the past.
• Now = humans are seen as active agents in environments & are engaged in activities that change its composition and structure.
• Humans have a major impact on the environment.
• Hunter-gatherers also have an impact through overhunting, spread plants, burning forests, etc.
• Farmers also have an impact through habitat modifications due to farming & resource depression (wood, game, plants, soil).
• Overhunting is documented worldwide & most probably occurred in prehistory too.
• Conservation was probably rare in prehistory?

Question 2

Human response?

Answer 2

Increased diet breadth, i.e., feeding on large animals then small animals when large animals go exinct.

Question 3

Common ways/egs of human responses once there is overhunting in an area? (3)

Answer 3

• Included fish & aquatic species in their diet.
• Greater use of domestic animals.
• Intergroup exchanges (trade of products between groups).

Question 4

Optimal Foraging Theory?

Answer 4

= assumes human foraging behaviour determined by natural selection to yield the greatest returns to ensure survival & reproductive success.

Question 5

OFT attributes? (7)

Answer 5

• Focuses on costs & benefits.
• Assumes foragers behave in a way that maximises returns (energy, nutrients, social currencies) per unit foraging time.
• Useful starting point to formulate hypotheses.
• Prey is ranked according to profitability.
• Predicts that foragers target high-ranking prey when encountered.
• Ignores low-ranked prey as long as the encounter rate with high-ranked prey is high.
• Often leads to overhunting of high-ranked prey (resource depression).

Question 6

Egs of global impact of humans in the past? (2)

Answer 6

• Anasazi.
• Bosutswe.

Question 7

Thing to note about Bosutswe?

Answer 7

You need occupation sites with strata & have been long occupied to actually measure change over time on global & local scales.